An overview of our milestones
In 2017, KennisDC Logistiek (a HAN research group), HAN, RU, and Radboudumc entered into discussions about developing a more sustainable and joint form of supply to the campus area. The institutions wanted to work towards a more sustainable and loveable campus, i.e., one with less vehicles and less pollution. After a few joint meetings and in close consultation with the institutions’ boards, the decision was made to experiment with a smarter and more sustainable form of supply. To achieve this, a formalized agreement between the three institutions was signed: the Living Lab Heijendaal came into being.
A living lab is a living laboratory, a place to try out new ideas and put them directly into practice. In this way, the campus organizations and their external partners can learn and research by ‘doing’. These external partners included the operator of a city hub. This is a distribution center located at the city’s boundary where goods are delivered by campus suppliers, from where they are bundled and transported to the campus in zero emission vehicles and by bicycle couriers. The living lab is especially focused on the logistics of those last few kilometers to and on the campus, as these cause the most inconvenience.
The following goals were established for Living LAB Heijendaal Living Lab; these embed the concepts of livability and sustainability:
- Fewer vehicles on and to the campus
- Cleaner vehicles on and to the campus
- Considerations of service levels and costs
Following a preliminary study by the CoE KennisDC Logistiek, the potential of smarter last-mile logistics became clear. A consortium was set up to conduct more extensive research and a subsidy was granted by NWO.
With this interactive overview of out milestones, we want to support and inspire professionals and researchers to set up partnerships, improve logistic concepts, and ultimately to improve the sustainability of the last mile logistics at Campus Heijendaal and other locations.
